


Stimming

by locusinbloom (Fractual_Visions)



Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Asperger Syndrome, Gen, Loki's hair is wonderful, School Sucks, Stimming, community: naughtylokiconfessions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-07
Updated: 2014-05-07
Packaged: 2018-01-23 22:22:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 694
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1581557
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fractual_Visions/pseuds/locusinbloom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Loki helps an aspie girl make it through a stressful day at school.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stimming

**Author's Note:**

> I’m not aspie. If I messed something up here, please speak up so I can fix it!
> 
> Done for the [Naughty Loki Confessions blog](http://naughtylokiconfessions.tumblr.com) of which I am a devoted follower.

The supply closet was dark, small, and had three hinges of four screws each. The janitor thought the door locked, but it didn’t really, because pushing up on the handle slid the bolt loose from the catch.

Nia hated third period most. The morning sun entered the building at the wrong angle. The teacher’s lecture voice hit too many wrong notes. The girl one row over always wore too much jewelery. Nia had tried complaining to the guidance counselor, but he didn’t understand and she couldn’t explain it so he did.

He said she had to learn to deal with annoyances. She knew that. She dealt with a lot of annoyances all day. Third period was different, made her want to curl up and die, and, when she told him this, he told her not to exaggerate. Being aspie, Nia reflected angrily, meant nobody understood you, ever.

Class change was 240 seconds. That was 25 seconds to pack up in second period and get to the supply closet. From the closet to third period was 35 seconds. One hundred and eighty seconds to hide alone and prepare for battle, as she liked to think of it. She was a Valkyrie, sent out to do battle with the dragon called Mr. Eck’s class. Valkyries were gorgeous, strong, intelligent, and virginal. In Nia’s opinion, she was all of those things. She kept that opinion to herself, because giving herself compliments made her peers laugh at her. Why? She didn’t know, didn’t care.

Nia had always been fascinated by time. Time, for neurotypicals, was trying to make sense of a world in constant movement. For Nia, time was just numbers. Things changed whether one counted or not, but Nia liked to count the numbers.

She was in the closet now.

"Loki?" She whispered. "I need you today. Can you come, please?"

She kept ‘his spot’ free and waited. Loki didn’t come everyday, not even most days. He had many concerns in the Nine Realms, he explained gently, more than just one mortal girl. Nia glanced at her watch. 180 minus 30 was 150, the number of seconds left to her.

At minus 45, Loki knit his body together in the tiny space available. He said nothing; the expression on both of their faces was urgency. Loki knelt down to be more on a level with her and grabbed her wrist in a strong grip.

Nia had old bruises from Loki’s hands on both her arms and she covered them with long sleeve to avoid questions. It didn’t hurt, it felt good, Nia just bruised easily. Regular touch made her feel creepy, freaked out like spiders crawling under her skin. Nobody really believed her, no matter how many times she said it. She had learned to avoid people’s hands and hide the way she needed to be touched like it was some kind of dirty secret.

With her free hand, she reached immediately for his hair. Smooth as a waterfall through her hands. Tiny strands that bunched and tickled on her palm. She drew her hand down, from base to tip.

From base to tip.

From base to tip.

From base to tip.

Her heart slowed; her breath evened. The world bled out of focus. She found two strands that were not exactly the same length and rolled them back and forth between her fingertips.

Back and forth.

Back and forth.

Loki said nothing. He understood. The need for touch. The need for silence. He had told her once that she reminded him of his daughter, Hel, and she had glowed at that. She could happily stand here for hours and would not get bored. She would touch each strand, one at a time. She would stroke them in groups of three and in groups of twenty-seven.

Nia didn’t have hours. She had class.

"Someday," Nia promised herself, while speaking aloud to Loki, "we will live in a world where I can take you with me and pet you all during the lecture and nobody will care."

Loki sighed. “If only I ruled your pathetic little planet… Go now; you have class. Don’t draw their ire with tardiness.”


End file.
